If a picture is worth a thousand words, video of the unbelievably stupid things you see on the road is priceless. But can dash cams actually help you out in a sticky situation? Here’s how to decide whether you should get one, as well as the skinny on dash cams in relation to insurance companies and U.S. law.

A dash cam, or dashboard-mounted camera, is a device designed to record everything that happens when you drive. Think of it as a GoPro for your car. Dash cams can cost anywhere from $60 for low-end models to $150 for the cream of the crop. They consist of a single or double lens digital camera that mounts via a suction cup to your window or dashboard, powered through direct 12-volt wiring to your vehicle, batteries, or the cigarette lighter. As soon as you start your car, the camera records video directly to an SD card on a continuous loop, so it sees what you see as a driver. Some record sound, some can record in night vision, and some even have built-in GPS so you know where something was recorded.

Dash cams can capture those moments that would normally come down to your “version” of the story as a driver. Whatever the occurrence—a car cutting you off, someone jumping in front of your vehicle—the dash cam records it and saves it for later reference. They’re wildly popular in Russia because vehicle insurance fraud is so prevalent, but they’re gaining a lot of traction in the UK and the U.S. as well.

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Dash cams can be pretty polarizing. Right now you’re either thinking of how useful they might be, or how unnecessary they are for most people. This all started with a passionate debate I had with a buddy of mine. He swears on them, saying he won’t drive his vehicle without one. I, on the other hand, have never felt the need for one and found them to be a little overkill. I decided to find out which one of us was right.

When we provide a discount it is based on something that we believe will lower our claims costs, such as a customer’s driving history that indicates he or she is a safe driver. While a dash cam may provide information about why a crash occurred, it is not a device that is designed to inhibit the crash from happening in the first place.

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Anderson’s remarks are in line with what the rest of the top U.S. auto insurance companies said about dash cams when we spoke with them. They don’t prevent accidents from happening, and currently there isn’t any evidence that points to dash cams making people better drivers, so why would there be a discount? As more people use them, however, additional data may sway things in dash cam owners’ favor in the future. Dash cam footage may also potentially reduce the time required to settle disputes and push insurance companies to eventually offer those sweet, sweet discounts.

Dash Cam Footage May Help With Insurance Claims or In Court

Dash cams aren’t completely useless when it comes to insurance, however. Some insurance companies may accept dash cam footage when trying to prove you’re not at fault in an accident. If your claim becomes a dispute, it’s always better to have more evidence than less.

It’s just not so simple to decide who’s at fault at an intersection. I would say it’s very helpful, but it’s not conclusive evidence.

In essence, it’s better than nothing, assuming your auto insurance provider will take a look at it. We got in touch with customer service at five of the the top U.S. insurance companies to see if they would be willing to accept and review dash cam footage. After multiple calls to different departments at Progressive, Geico, Esurance, Nationwide, and State Farm, we got an idea of how dash cam footage is generally considered:

None of the providers had an “official” policy regarding dash cam footage and whether they would review it. In fact, most of the sales reps and customer claims reps weren’t even sure about it and the general consensus was “I don’t know, but that’s a good question…” Indeed.

Most of the providers would let you send them dash cam footage, but it would likely be considered as equal as photographs taken post-accident. Taking pictures or video is encouraged (as is filing police reports and getting eyewitnesses), but video probably wouldn’t have any more weight to it unless it made someone’s fault extremely obvious.

Review and use of dash cam footage would largely come down to the individual adjuster on your claim. If they think it helps they might use it, but most of them don’t expect it and can usually determine fault without it.

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While many dash cams try to offer as wide a view as possible, it’s still only pointed in one direction. Because of that and the potential graininess of some cheaper models, dash cams might show something happening, but may not help explain why it happened. The “why” is the most important part when determining if you’re at fault or not. Still, most dash cams can at least show the severity of an impact. Shane Fischer, a personal injury and criminal defense attorney in Florida, explains how dash cam footage can still be helpful in court if you were seeking compensation:

On almost every claim I have with minor property damage the other side argues that my client can’t possibly be injured unless the car was totaled, or nearly totaled. Having a dash cam showing the impact would convince jurors that you can’t just look at the amount of damage to the cars to determine the severity of the injury, especially since cars are being made safer. As a result, the force of impact is being transferred to the person, not the car.

From an insurance standpoint, they could be used to clear-up accident and hit and run claims as an objective observer in a crash instead of the “he said, she said” account. A camera could be a reliable source of information.

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Notice that she says it “could” be a reliable source, not that it is. Still, there are a lot of instances where having even a small amount of evidence is the difference between getting something and nothing at all. Some dash cam models can turn on when they detect motion, making it possible to catch those jerks that bump into your car in the parking lot and don’t leave a note. They can also help prevent insurance fraud because you can prove that “hurt” pedestrian threw themselves on your car. Overall, when it comes to insurance, stick to the basics when you get in an accident. Focus on filing a police report and nabbing eyewitness accounts because they still have more weight than photos or videos.

For the most part, using your dash cam to record video on public streets and parking lots—where you’re almost always driving—isn’t breaking any privacy laws. That’s only for video, however. If your dash cam also records audio in your car (or has a second lens recording the inside of your car), you need to inform the people you’re driving with about the recording or it can be considered wiretapping. Bambauer lays out the types of wiretapping laws you’ll find from state to state:

Some states have “all party” laws, where each participant in a conversation or other setting must consent to the recording. So, if you are in one of those states, and you’re recording with your dash cam while your friend is in the passenger’s seat, you need her permission to make the recording. If you don’t obtain it, you could face a civil suit (assuming your friend gets mad enough to file one) or criminal prosecution. In “one party” states, any participant can consent to recording, so as long as you consent (which you likely do, since you’re running the dash cam), you’re safe from liability. And, if your dash cam is running while you’re not in the car, you might run into problems even in one party states, since it could record interactions to which you are not a party.

If you’re worried about it, you can either inform everyone who rides in your car (nothing else necessary), buy a model that doesn’t record audio, or disable the audio recording functionality.

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On an unrelated note, you should also make sure your dash cam doesn’t obstruct your view as a driver. Some jurisdictions have specific laws about how much space a dash cam or GPS unit can take up in your windshield viewing area. It’s best to check with your own local laws, but car tech expert Jeremy Laukkonen at About Cars suggests this general rule of thumb:

...if your dash camera obscures more than a 5 inch square on the driver’s side, or a 7 inch square on the passenger’s side, you could be courting disaster.

If you make sure to only record in the public, let passengers know you’re recording audio, and keep your view from being obstructed, you’re all set to use your dash cam without any problems.